Two for the Price of One!  That sounds like a great deal, especially for those plant addicts who just may have exceeded their horticultural budgets.  

So, you may have mastered propagation by rooting plants in soil & perlite/vermiculite, by division, and even by simple layering.  But, have you ever tried air layering?  Before you stop reading, please believe me that it isn’t as difficult as it may sound, and you will produce a beautiful, full-grown plant from your effort.

You have probably found that some plants are difficult to reproduce.  They don't produce viable seeds, and you can’t just make a tip cutting and root it in water or even a soil mix.  The answer is air layering. 

The tools you will need include:  a sharp blade, moistened sphagnum moss, rooting hormone, plastic wrap, twist ties, and some aluminum foil. Of course, you also need the “mother plant” which will produce the new plant.  Gather your tools for the procedure.  Having a friend to help can also be useful.  There are variations of this procedure, but this one has worked for me. 

On your plant, choose a healthy limb that is at least twelve inches long.  The plant can be potted or in the ground.  The best time of year is early spring, but it can be done most other times as well.  Spring is preferable because plants are actively growing.  If it is a houseplant, most any time is acceptable.

For this project, I chose a Ficus elastica (Rubber Tree).  With a sharp blade, score around the selected limb (just deeply enough to cut thru the outer bark layer).  Now drop down about 1 inch and repeat the scoring completely around the limb.  Then cut in a straight line from one score to the other.  At this point, you should be able to peel the one-inch outer layer off and expose the inner layer. 

Apply a thin layer of powdered rooting hormone to the entire exposed area. Wrap a “handful” of damp sphagnum moss around the entire exposed area.  Hold the moss in place with plastic wrap. Secure the plastic wrap with twist ties or twine.  It should be very firm so that movement does not occur.  The hormone-coated, plastic-wrapped area should then be covered with a sheet of foil which is crimped to secure it. 

The moss must be kept damp, so pour a small amount of water into the core about once a week.  This can be accomplished by just slightly releasing the top twist tie and then securing it again.   After 4-5 weeks, roots should begin to appear.  After numerous roots appear, you may cut the stem just below the roots.

You have successfully produced a new copy of the mother plant.  Prepare a pot and plant your new baby.  As you accomplish this new propagation method, you will feel a great deal of pride and confidence.  Like so many other new things, air layering isn’t that difficult, and I hope you will try it soon.